Open Source as a Career Builder

October 24, 2011

By Developer.com Staff

These days, free and open source software (FOSS) pops up almost everywhere, from large scale research projects to consumer devices, making it a viable career choice. Carla Schroder writes that open source offers particular opportunities to people who "don't look like a stereotype computer geek" because in FOSS "it really doesn't matter." She adds, "An unfortunate feature of corporate life is that all too often, merit doesn't get you anywhere. But in the FOSS world, reputation matters, and good work gets recognition."

Experts say that people who are self-motivated and flexible find the most career success in FOSS. According to Amanda McPherson of The Linux Foundation, "People who thrive in less structured roles will have great success, whether in development, sales and marketing or anything else. Those who can come up with their own job descriptions and do what needs to be done will be best suited for these types of roles."